


How My Dad met Mom

by DarkPhoenixGoddess10



Series: Richard and Anne: One-shots [31]
Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 17:03:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4754201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPhoenixGoddess10/pseuds/DarkPhoenixGoddess10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nine year-old Ned York was given an assignment on writing how his parents met. Since his parents were away on business trips, he sought helps from his grandmother and uncles. Unfortunately, they all gave different versions. </p><p>In the same verse as "Senior Prom".</p>
            </blockquote>





	How My Dad met Mom

A SUV stopped before a large, white house.

A nine year-old boy hopped out of the car as his Dad turned off the engine and opened the trunk.

Taking her son by the hand, Anne walked him to the door and her husband Richard followed behind with their son Ned's bags and luggage. The two had their business trips, which required them to be away for a week. Anne had a presentation to make at a seminar and Richard had a conference to attend. As result, their son Ned was going to spend one week at his grandmother Cecily's house.

The house used to be very full. Not only Cecily was living there, but her oldest son Ed and his wife Liz were there as well - with their large brood of kids. Only recently did they move out, after Liz became pregnant with their baby number seven. Initially, Anne suggested Ned to be dropped off at her sister Isabel's place, since Isabel also had kids at Ned's age. However, Richard voted against that because, in his words, George is not as responsible. They had also considered leaving Ned with Anne's parents but ultimately decided to leave Ned with Cecily, who found the house a bit too large and lonely after Ed moved out.

Ned rang the door bell. Within a minute, the door was opened. Cecily greeted Ned with a warm hug.

"Ned, to be good and helpful to your Nana," Anne said as she hugged Ned goodbye. "Don't forget your homework."

"You are the man of the house!" Richard told him. "We will be back in a week."

After saying goodbye to his parents and seeing them driving off, Ned settled in the room Cecily arranged for him; it was the same room Richard used to occupy with he was a kid.

***

As usual, Ned went to school in the morning and then Cecily picked him up after school. That evening, after dinner, Ned was staring at his notebook.

"Are you having trouble with your homework?" Cecily asked.

"Yeah," Ned nodded. "The teacher gave me a paragraph to write, but I don't know how to begin."

"Let me see," Cecily offered her help. Ned handed her the assignment.

He was to write a paragraph on how his parents met.

"But neither Mom nor Dad is here to help me," Ned said.

"Well, I can help you," Cecily smiled. "I was there and saw the whole thing. It is a lovely story."

Ned sat still and listened.

"It started with your mother's house fell into a sink hole," Cecily began.

"What is a sink hole?"

"It's a deep, deep hole with no end," Cecily told him. "Your father was a knight in a shining armor. He took your mother in and helped her in many ways. In the end, they went to prom together. Your Dad even got your Mom a beautiful dress."

Ned nodded.

Cecily then went on with the details, on how Anne was in such a desperate situation and how caring Richard was. She even told him the night when Anne didn't return home on time and Richard went out searching for her.

***

On the next evening, George and Isabel came by. Ned was busy writing his paragraph.

"What are you writing?" George asked.

"On how Dad met Mom," Ned told him. "It's due in two days."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure, I'm almost done."

George took his paper and read it; and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ned asked, bewildered.

"That's not what happened!"

"What do you mean?" Ned asked, confused. "This is exactly what Nana told me."

"Ha! I knew it! There's no way your Dad can be this nice."

"So what Nana told me is not true then?" Ned asked.

"Not exactly."

"Then how did Dad met Mom?"

"Your Dad met your Mom at a restaurant, where your Mom had said a lot of bad things about him."

"What?" Ned was more confused than ever.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened and I was there," George insisted. "Your Dad got mad. And then your Mom's house fell into a sink hole, and your Dad refused to take her in unless she agreed to be his maid."

"Mom has been a maid?" Ned's eyes widened.

"Yes, she cooked and cleaned for him."

"But Mom never cooked," Ned said. "And Dad is very nice to Mom."

" _Now_ they are nice to each other," George said. "But not back then."

"Wait a minute," Isabel walked in, overheard what they have said. "George, you are telling the story right."

"Yes, I am!" George insisted.

Isabel took a seat next to Ned. "Look this is what happened: your parents met at this restaurant, where we were celebrating the engagement of me and your Uncle George. Your Mom said something not-so nice about your Dad and your Dad didn't like that. Your Dad gave your Mom hard times because of it; but your Mom is his exact match. The two had no idea how much they liked each other until this guy Edward Lancaster came up."

"You got this all messed up!" George argued. "Lancaster was there before Richard. Anne was with Lancaster until he got too weird."

The two went on bickering back and forth on what really happened between Richard and Anne while Ned watched them, lost more than ever.

***

Ed came by the next day, finding Ned sitting in the dining room with his drafts.

"Working hard?"

"I have an assignment due tomorrow," Ned told him. "I have to write a paragraph on how Dad met Mom. Nana, Uncle George, and Aunt Izzy all told me different stories."

Ed reviewed his draft and laughed.

"Do you know what really happened Uncle Ed?"

"Yes of course," Ed said. "Listen, your Dad is a very smart guy. He is a mentee of your grandfather Richard's."

"What's a mentee?"

"Kind of like a student," Ed replied. "Anyway, after your Mom's house fell into a sink hole, your Dad took her in. He helped her with her college applications and taught her the basics of law. By doing so, he earned your grandfather Richard's approval."

Ned looked at him, blinking.

"Your Mom has her share of clumsiness," Ed continued. "When your father took her to the prom, he had his ankle twisted. Your Mom drove him to a hospital and got herself a ticket for not turning the headlight on."

"Now I can never finish this assignment," Ned whined.

"Come on, don't be like this," Ed said. "What you can do is take all of this and blend them together."

"What do you mean?"

"All of the things they told you, it did happen," Ed explained. "Write them all down and you'll be all set."

Ned looked at him and nodded.

He began to write.

***

_One week later..._

Richard was reviewing a case in his office when his phone rang.

"Hi, Mr. York? This is Mrs. Percy from Middleham Elementary School, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Is everything okay?"

"Well, I need you and Mrs. York to come see me after school."

Richard raised an eyebrow; Ned had never been a troublemaker in school.

***

Richard and Anne came to school to see Mrs. Percy, Ned's homeroom teacher.

"I have given the students an assignment to write about how their parents met," Mrs. Percy began. "And this is what Ned has written."

She handed them Ned's essay.

_How My Dad met My Mom_

_By Edward R. York_

_My Mom and Dad met at a restaurant, where my Uncle George and Aunt Izzy got engaged. Mom said something bad about Dad, and Dad got mad. Mom's house fell into a hole that's really deep with no end. Dad took Mom in but then made her work as a maid.  Mom cooked and cleaned and did a bad job. Dad was not nice but Mom was his exact match. Dad taught Mom laws and Mom sued him in court and went to college. My grandfather Richard was happy. Mom didn't like Dad until a weird man named Edward Lancaster appeared. Mom came home late one night and Dad went out to look for her. By then they realized how much they like each other. Dad took Mom to prom. He had Mom wearing Aunt Liz's dress. Mom got in trouble with the cops and Dad ended up in a hospital. Now they are nice to each other._

"Can you tell me how you two really met?"

**Author's Note:**

> The versions that Cecily, Izzy, George, and Ed told are based on several Ricardian writings on Richard and Anne's relationship:
> 
> Cecily's version - Sharon Kay Penman and Sandra Worth (romantic Richard)  
> George's version - P. Gregory (jerkass)  
> Izzy's version - Anne O'Brien (belligerent sexual tension)  
> Ed's version - Raey Tannahill (realistic Richard - a smart, strategic man)
> 
> Now if you really want to know how Richard and Anne met, you can read my fic "Senior Prom Night".
> 
> Cheers.


End file.
